PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2565, 13 May 1903, Page 69

PATER'S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

ANOTHER WORD OR TWO OX MACEDONIA. Three or four weeks ago I gave a Chat on Macedonia ; but since then I have read an article or two on what used to be called "The Eastern Question," -and I dare say you want to know the latest written on the subject, so I add a supplementary paragraph or two to what I formerly wrote. The year 1856 was the death knell of the Turkish Empire. Then commenced the movement which has robbed her of province after province, and now, under the Macedonian question, threatens her existence. Macedonia has about 3,000,000 people, of whom five-sixths are Bulgarians in race and speech, the mim ity being Turkish soldiers and officials, Greek merchants, priests, and settlers along the Sea. It is aland of Bu'^arian Slavs, and therefore they have racial sympathy with Russia : they are Christians of the Oriental rite, under Mussulman rulers, mainly of Turkish race. . The result is inevitable anarchy, which has its cause not so much in the m '»volence of the Turk as in au administrr c impotence which has attracted tin attention of the four million Bulgarian subjects of Prince Ferdinand, who aims at the control of the Balkan Peninsula. Albania is a formidable buttress of Turkish power, for it conUiins 800,000 Mussulmans, who in stalwart valour and fanatical, zeal vie with the early followers of the Prophet. These Axnauts, as they are

called, remind us of the Highland clans in the Middle Ages. Kilted mountaineers like the Highlanders, they are full of passionate tribal loyalty. An apprenticeship to cattle-raiding and brigandage is part of the training of every, young man, and they hold intrusive foreigners in utter detestation. For all Slavs they have a traditional hatred and contempt. It is well to remember, too, that these fanatical Albanians supply the Sultan with his bodyguard. Another writer asks the question, Why doesn't Russia step in? and then answers it Russia is not quite so keen on the liberation of Macedonia as she was, because she doesn't want to see Bulgaria become any stronger. Russia's object was to break up the Turkish Empire, and to absorb it piece by piece ; but a- strong Bulgarian might defeat that object. Again, Russia says that it is now £freat Britain's turn to do something, seeing that Great Britain, by the Treaty of Berlin in 1878, thrust back Macedonia under the heel of the Turk after Russia had. liberated it and other parts of the Turkish Empire at an enormous expense of blood and money. It isnt very pleasant to be told that the present murderous state of afiairs is the outcome of Britain's action in 1878, is it? WHY THE BRITISH LOSE TRADE. . The following are the reasons, as given by Lord Charles Beresford in a new Commercial Review just coming out: — 1. Foreign countries make and send out what tho people want. Many British firms are only prepared to make and eend out what the}' think the people ought to want. Foreign countries will accept orders so small that such orders really amount to samples only. 2. British firms rarely take small orders, tho reason being that they do not pay. In trade, the great effort should be to form connections, and, with this object in view, orders, no matter how small, should be accepted. An order for lewt of eteel might result in a further order for tons. 3. Foreign commercial firms make out priocs and weights of commodities in the language of the country with which they wish to trada British commercial firms generally give English currency, and use the British system of weighte and measures, the mosx difficult of all for foreigners to follow. 4. Foreign commercial agent? are obliged to learn the language of the country with which 'they wish to trade. Many British commercin:l agents seem to prids themselves upon knowing no language but their own, and seom to regard those who cannot speak English 33 people wanting in intelligence. 5. British firms do not seem to take into consideration the enormous importance customers attaoh to an early date for delivery. I.v 1898 I found that Mr Kinder, the very able engineer who had designed the Shon-hai-Kwan railway in China, was employing engines of American manufacture (Baldwin's). On inquiry, I ascertained that Mr Kinder had done his best to employ Britishmade ctugines, but found it impossible. The British price was £2800 per engine, with 24 months to deliver, while the American price was £1850 and four months and a-lialf to deliver. Many orders, too. go to the foreigner became the English are careless as to date of delivery. In many of these cases it is mainly early delivery that is wanted, irrespective of price. 6. It is time that our people learnt; that with a new century we have entered upem. new conditions, more particularly and decidedly with regard to trade and commerce. The British trader formerly had a monopoly of trade and commerce in many of the trading centres of the world. He ie now met by the fiercest and most determined opposition in every quarter of the globe. Unless the British commercial clarj^es realise this fact, and compete in a manner suitable to modern requirement?, British .rade and commerce are bound to ckcline. 7. The British Empire, like other empires of the past, has been founded upon the enterprise and success of its trade and commerce. AH budgets for defence are merely insiiranee for the punctual and oertain delivery of comnifrre. If commerce cleelinea, the Empire declines. Imperial defence is indiasolublv bound up with the success of he Empire's commercial enterprise. If jommerce fails, the people cannot afford to pay the taxes necessary for flffioient defence. Peace i?. in the main, the first interest of fiiiccefsful commercial enternrise. and peace can only be secured by adequate and efficient defence. 8. There ia not the sliehtest reason for a pessimistic view of the situation as regards British tradp and commerce. Although individual industries have, iv some cases, been severely handled by foreign competition, the volume of British trade and commerce ia still ou tha increase, but lhi3 increase is r.ot in proportion to the increase apparent in__the voluineof some foreign countries. Tho British commercial world is not Icting trade (taking trade as \ whole), but I think that foreigners are getting many of those new coutnections with regard to trade which we might obtain if we adopted methods to which I have already referred. 9. The primary duty of a!! governments is to further Ihe interests of the trado and commerce of the countries which they control. Appearances seem to indicate that this country is as apathetic .0 the welfare of its trade and commerce as it unquestionably is on the vital question of the ;fficiency of Imperial deffaice. I have underlined sections in \*os. 7 and 8. because they are so often overlooked by the casual and careless reader. A navy is simply a business insurance against risk ; and a nation not increasing its commerce in the same ratio as its competitors is losing ground. And we aru losing ground ; and a man isn t patriotic who refuses to see this and to inquire if and how lost ground can be made up. » ~— ™ "^ • mm ~ *~ — At Dodford, Northampton, a young woman whe had just been married went from the altar at her wedding to the font and stood sponsor to her father's sixteenth child. Old England's Navy rules the sea No matter where her shins may be. Her flag will fly in every clime, Foremost till the end of time; Her hardy sailor loves to roam Upon the wave he calls his home, While from the cold he ia secure. Taking— Woods' Gbeat S'sprEKKiNT CtE3.